Team Rocket’s Second-in-Command! [464]

Upon hearing Luo Yuan's words, Dialga fell into deep thought.

It wanted to say no—but after glancing at Rayquaza, and recalling the brutal beating Giratina had taken just moments earlier, it simply didn't have the courage.

And given its current condition—considering Luo Yuan's strength—even if it did refuse, could Luo Yuan really do nothing about it?

With that thought, Dialga gave a barely noticeable nod.

Luo Yuan smiled faintly at the sight, then tossed two Master Balls.

They struck Dialga and Palkia simultaneously, and with a flash of red light, both massive bodies were absorbed into the Poké Balls.

Watching from the side, Cyrus was filled with bitterness.

Everything I did… all of it was just paving the way for the Tech-Hunter to reap the rewards.

If he hadn't captured the lake guardians, if he hadn't created the red chains and summoned Dialga and Palkia—there was no way this man could've captured them so easily.

He even began to wonder if the whole thing had been a setup—if Luo Yuan had let him reach Mt. Coronet, lying in wait until he'd done the hard part of summoning the two gods before swooping in to take them for himself.

How else could the timing have been so perfect?

Luo Yuan slipped the Poké Balls into his pocket. Sensing Cyrus's gaze and more or less guessing what was running through his mind, Luo Yuan turned and gave a small smile.

"That's right. It's just like you're thinking. If it weren't for you, capturing Dialga and Palkia wouldn't have been so easy."

"Damn you!" Cyrus ground his teeth, veins bulging in his forehead.

He'd already lost everything. And now his opponent was rubbing salt in the wound.

But no matter how furious or helpless he felt, it didn't change the reality: he was now a prisoner of Team Rocket.

Luo Yuan, having said his piece, didn't bother with Cyrus any further. He glanced around at the devastation that surrounded the summit of Mt. Coronet, gave a casual whistle, and—acting as if none of it had anything to do with him—climbed onto Rayquaza and flew off.

---

Former Team Galactic Headquarters – now Team Rocket's temporary base

Luo Yuan leapt off Rayquaza, dragging Cyrus in tow.

"You actually came back?" he said, feigning surprise.

He waved off the two saluting Rocket grunts at the gate, then turned his head.

Earlier, before the battle at Mt. Coronet, Luo Yuan had arranged for Cynthia to remain outside, tasked with intercepting any Galactic trainers Cyrus brought and evacuating surrounding civilians if the situation got out of hand.

At the time, Luo Yuan had assumed he might never see her again.

So when she actually returned after he defeated Cyrus, Luo Yuan couldn't help but give her a once-over.

Cynthia felt awkward under his gaze. The way he looked at her—as if she were someone who'd go back on her word…

Okay, fine, she admitted inwardly. I had thought about cutting my losses and returning to the League.

After all, the man was from Team Rocket—a criminal organization. Trusting him hadn't exactly been part of her plan.

But the curiosity and worry about what had transpired atop Mt. Coronet had driven her to come back.

Besides, there were still League trainers held in Veilstone City, under Team Rocket's watch. No matter what, she couldn't just abandon them.

Now that the Tech-Hunter had shown up here with Cyrus in tow, one thing was certain:

He'd crushed Cyrus's ambitions.

"What exactly happened at Mt. Coronet?" Cynthia had a thousand questions swirling in her mind.

What kind of battle had taken place to cause a shockwave of that magnitude?

Why had Giratina appeared—was that part of Cyrus's plan?

And with Team Galactic's plot now foiled, what had become of Dialga and Palkia?

Only Luo Yuan had the answers.

"You wanna talk about this here?" Luo Yuan looked around pointedly.

"..." Cynthia quickly realized this wasn't the place.

Seeing her hesitation, Luo Yuan said, "If you really want to know, follow me."

---

Inside the temporary Team Rocket base

Malva glanced oddly at Cynthia but said nothing as he handed Luo Yuan a folder.

"We've completed the internal report. In total, we've captured 1,300 Team Galactic trainers—including one senior commander, 23 mid-level officers, and 52 research staff."

He didn't hide any of this from Cynthia.

After all, this wasn't sensitive intel. Even if she knew, it wouldn't affect Team Rocket's operations.

The real classified info was in the list of Galactic members who'd chosen to defect to Team Rocket—a list now in Luo Yuan's hands.

Scanning the pages, Luo Yuan nodded to himself.

Maybe it was the overwhelming show of strength Team Rocket had displayed, or perhaps the fact that their boss had abandoned them and fled—but whatever the reason, more Team Galactic members had surrendered than Luo Yuan expected.

And once the rest learned that Cyrus had been captured, the number of defectors would likely surge again.

"Keep these people under watch," Luo Yuan instructed. "And make sure he doesn't cause trouble." He handed Cyrus off to Malva, then led Cynthia deeper into the building—to what had once been Cyrus's office.

Settling into Cyrus's chair, Luo Yuan looked over at Cynthia. "So? What do you want to ask?"

Cynthia had many questions—but remembering that he wasn't obligated to answer any of them, she settled on just one.

"What happened at Mt. Coronet?"

"What happened?" Luo Yuan tapped the armrest with a knuckle. "That's a pretty broad question. Long story short, I foiled Cyrus's plan… and then Giratina popped up and decided to pick a fight."

The way he said it—so casually, so offhanded.

Cynthia had seen with her own eyes the terrifying battle that raged across Mt. Coronet's summit, and hearing him speak so nonchalantly made her reevaluate Luo Yuan's strength yet again.

And he was just a senior officer in Team Rocket.

Their leader hadn't even shown up yet.

If not even Giratina—the embodiment of antimatter, destruction, and dread in Sinnoh's mythology—could pose a threat…

Cynthia couldn't help but wonder: Was there anything left that could stop Team Rocket now?

Maybe only Arceus itself.

Luo Yuan, chatting with Cynthia, hadn't used his telepathy.

If he had, he would've scoffed at her thoughts.

You think some overgrown alpaca can deal with me?